Jill’s Top 14 Things of 2014

December 21, 2014

As per tradition, I’ve compiled a list of awesome things I enjoyed over the course of the year. Since this year has been especially special for me, I also included the top five things that happened in my life. Check out posts from prior years:

We may as well face the music: this Meghan Trainor earworm is one catchy ditty. There were a few days where it just lived in my brain.

12. Game of Thrones – “The Lion and the Rose / The Purple Wedding”

Just in case you haven’t watched this year’s season of Game of Thrones, I won’t say what went down. BUT YOU’RE GONNA WANT TO WATCH THIS ONE.

11. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Funny, sassy, badass, awesome and a powerhouse – a few words used to describe author Amy Poehler. We learn just how badass she truly is in this critically acclaimed memoir. Get the audiobook now!

10. Emma Watson and #YesAllWomen

It was quite a year for feminism. The struggle for gender equality seemed to be everywhere you looked in 2014. Between the Twitter domination of the hashtag #YesAllWomen and Emma Watson’s UN speech on gender equality and the launch of He For She, it was an amazing time, but much work has yet to be done.

9. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Any day that a worldwide trend spreads in the form of charity is an amazing day. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge reached across the globe this summer. People everywhere dumped ice water over their heads on film, donated money to their local ALS organization and then dared their friends to do it too. Here’s my video.

8. Laverne Cox on the cover of Time Magazine

Day-um! The beautiful Laverne Cox (who plays Sophia on Orange is the New Black) graced the cover of Time this year. A major win for trans people.

6. Alvvays (self-titled album)
A great indie rock album from a new Canadian band.

5. Malala Yousafzai

How many Nobel Peace Prize winners go right back to class after learning that they have won? Malala Yousafzai is still a teenager but her life goal is clear: help get young girls in developing countries into the classroom. I can’t wait to see the amazing things Malala does as she grows up.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

I am Groot.

3. Sex Criminals

Oh. My. GOD. In 2014, I became someone who reads comics. Didn’t see that one comin.’ The comic series Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky is about a on-and-off couple named Suzie and Jon who both have a secret power: they can stop time when they… uh… climax. They use this ability for good (kind of) and encounter other people who have the same ability. It’s a naughty, sex-positive, laugh-out-loud funny comic that has a very special place in my heart.

2. Fargo

Wow. Just wow. So good. Martin Freeman killed it as wimp-turned-murderer in this series based on the Coen Brothers film of the same name. Well, kind of based. Same kind of crime, same kind of characters but with this series, they get to go much deeper into the characters. That’s why I loved the TV series so much more than the movie. The characters really get to develop over the season. Folks from small town Minnesota deal with this mystery while the viewer gets to see how the murderers are going to weasel their way out of it. And can I get a hell yeah for Allison Tolman’s character Deputy Molly Solverson? One of the best feminist TV characters of the year.

1. Broad City

I pushed Broad City onto anyone I thought might enjoy it. And even a couple people who wouldn’t. Broad City is a new sitcom on Comedy Central starring twenty-something best friends, Ilana and Abbi, who live in NYC. And it is my new favorite show. There’s no character arc, no drama, just laughs. Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson actually co-created the show as a web series back in 2009. Amy Poehler took notice and is now a producer on the show.

It’s so fantastic. Abbi is an artist who works as a cleaner at a gym while Ilana “works” at… well, it’s hard to say where she works because she mostly just smokes weed and sleeps in the bathroom the whole time. They get into silly, ridiculous situations. In one episode, they end up getting locked out of Ilana’s apartment and that eventually leads to them getting maced. In another episode, the gang holds up in Abbi’s apartment during a storm with the power out. It is truly awesome and I can’t wait for season 2 in January.

Now, enjoy this amazing Broad City gifs.

And, now for a little bit more self-indulgence…

THE TOP 5 THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME IN 2014

It really was an exceptional year. For me, I mean. A few shitty things happened in the world but shitty things happen every year. This list is all about the good in the world. Okay, here we go.

5. I became a more passionate, outspoken and determined feminist. Always a good thing.

4. We bought a car. I’ve never owned/co-owned a car before so that’s been great.

3. Went to London. In late June, I traveled with my aunt to Jolly England and saw so many things. London is quite the place. We also traveled outside of London to see Hampton Court Palace. It was an amazing trip. I still have to get around to editing my trip photos. Thing is, I’ve been really busy with items #1 and #2…

2. Finished a novel and began the publishing process. My life-long dream is soon to be a reality. I finished a book for the first time, got it edited, copy edited and proofed. I formatted the ebook and paperback. Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire will be released on February 6, 2015. You can pre-order the ebook on Amazon or Kobo and you can attend my virtual book launch on Facebook on launch day.

1. Got engaged. Colby put a ring on it on July 1. Planning is going pretty well but I’m kind of at a standstill for what I can do at this point, since the wedding isn’t until September. This time next year, I’ll be Mrs… Well, I’ll be Ms. Hamilton, since I’m keeping my last name. But still. I’m excited to be married. 🙂